Alyssa Gaines

Loved and worn down with age, And once they’re there they’ll find what’s left: Your name on the cover page.

And just for that fleeting moment, It’s as though you’ve beaten death. That in the whisper of your name, You’ve taken one more breath.

blue dashers

Alyssa Gaines

blue dashers dancing atop the lake, light strokes across the heavy landscape, eagles fly & bowriders call i was baptized in the blue waters of a red state & came to south of the mason-dixon & there i was, stagnant and black against the holy water in the land stretching its fingers to god

heard the sweet hymn of deep trees, the timbre & hum of cicadas, closed my eyes & dreamt of how slow i could talk i was baptized in the blue waters of a red state & came to south of the mason-dixon blue dashers dancing atop the lake, light strokes across the heavy landscape, eagles fly & bowriders call

free as a crystal sparkling surface on fire, sweat running wild & sticking me to a flowy white dress, rosy like a doll dipped in milk, drunk on honey, grasping at salt, but quiet and wishin & there i was, stagnant and black against the holy water in the land stretching its fingers to god

then rising on the lake, in my dress, born again, washed, resurrected and all watching a flag fly off the back of the boat, reverent in- its gall i found an errant breath & heard a familiar whisper like god in the wind telling freedom stories in the tides of dreams passed like- prayer across kin blue dashers dancing atop the lake, light strokes across the heavy landscape, eagles fly & bowriders call

light breaking thick mountain forest, to glimmer down, make this all gold. i watched in awe every hair standing up, mouth open to the chill wind & there i was, stagnant and black against the holy water in the land stretching its fingers to god